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Premises Licence

A premises licence authorises the use of any premises (which is defined in the Licensing 2003 Act as a vehicle, vessel or moveable structure or any place or a part of any premises) to provide late-night refreshments and/or regulated entertainment and/or sell alcohol.

Any of the following may apply for a premises licence:

anyone who uses carries on a business in the premises to which the application relates;

a recognised club;

a charity;

a health service body;

a person who is registered under the Care Standards Act 2000 in relation to an independent hospital;

a chief police officer of a force in England and Wales;

anyone discharging a statutory function under Her Majesty’s prerogative;

a person from an educational institute;

any other permitted person

Applications must be in a specific format and be accompanied by any required fee. An operating schedule, a plan of the premises and a form of consent from the premises supervisor (for applications where the sale of alcohol will be a licensable activity).

An operating schedule will include details of:

the licensable activities;

the times when the activities will take place;

any other times when the premises will be open to the public;

in the case of applicants who wish to have a limited licence, the period the licence is required for;

information in respect of the premises supervisor;

whether any alcohol that is to be sold is for consumption on or off the premises or both;

the steps proposed to be taken to promote the licensing objectives;

any other required information.

Applicants may be required to advertise their application and to give notice of the application to any other person or responsible body, e.g. the local authority, chief police officer or fire and rescue authority.

The licensing authority must grant the application, which can be subject to conditions. A hearing must be held if any representations are made in respect of the application. If a hearing is held the licence can be granted or granted subject to additional conditions, licensable activities listed in the application can be excluded or the application can be rejected.

The licensing authority will serve a notice of its decision on the applicant, any person who has made relevant representations (ie representations that were not deemed frivolous or vexatious) and the chief of police.

Applications can also be made to vary or transfer a licence. A hearing may have to be heard if representations are made or conditions relating to a transfer are not met.

The chief police officer for the police area where the premises are located can apply to the licensing authority for a review of the licence if the premises are licensed to sell alcohol by retail and a senior officer has given a certificate that they are of the opinion that the premises are associated with either serious crime or disorder or both. A hearing will be held and the licence holder and other interested parties may make representations.

A chief police officer can give a notice to the licensing authority if they believe that the transfer of a licence to another, under a variation application could undermine crime prevention objectives. Such a notice must be given within 14 days of receiving notification of the application.

A responsible body or other persons may make representations in relation to a licence application.

A responsible authority or other persons may apply to the licensing authority to review the premises licence. A hearing will be held by the licensing authority.

A chief police officer may make representations to the licensing authority for a review of the licence if the premises are licensed to sell alcohol by retail and a senior member of the force has given a certificate to state that in their opinion the premises are associated with serious crime, disorder or both.

A responsible authority or other persons who made relevant representations may appeal against the granting of a licence or against any condition, variation, licensable activity or premises supervisor decisions.

Appeals are made to a Magistrates' court within 21 days of notice of the decision.

You can download the application form for a premises licence on our Forms & Fees page.